US2621585A - Egg timing device - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 16, 1952 A. E. WAETERLING EGG TIMING DEVICE 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Sept. 1. 1948 INVENTOR.

ARTHUR E. WAETERLING BY V Patented Dec. 16, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EGG TIMING DEVICE Arthur E. Waetcrling, Long Island City, N. Y.

Application September 1, 1948, Serial No. 437,313

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a timing mechanism for controlling the cooking time of eggs and other foods and food products.

Egg timing devices have heretofore been devised and patented. The more perfected of these devices include a timing mechanism and means controlled thereby for removing the eggs from the boiling water in the pot in which they are cooked, at the appropriate time, say at the end of a one minute or a two minute or a three minute time interval. In these egg timing devices, removal of the eggs from the boiling water consists simply in elevatin the eggs above the water level. The water however continues to boil and to emit steam. It is evident therefore that what happens to the eggs is that they are removed from one cooking medium, to wit, the boiling water, and they are placed under the influence of another cooking medium, to wit, a steam bath. This is tantamount to removing the eggs from the frying pan and tossing them into the fire since the cooking operation continues long after they are removed from the pot in which the timed cooking operation takes place.

In the present invention cognizance has been taken of the fact that a steam bath cooks eggs and other foods equally as well or at least equally as effectively as boiling water. In the present invention a timing mechanism is provided which controls and actuates a mechanism that not only removes the eggs from the boiling water in which they are cooked but also removes them from the influence of the steam which emanates from the boiling water. When the device herein claimed removes the eggs from the boiling water at the end of the timed interval, the cooking process actually comes to a complete end, which is decidedly not the case with egg timing devices heretofore devised and patented.

It is accordingly the principal object of this invention to provide an egg timing device of the character described which removes the eggs from the boiling water in which they are cooked, at the end of a selected time interval, and also removes the eggs from the influence of the steam which the boiling water emanates.

It is a corollary object of this invention to provide an egg timing device of the character described which, at the conclusion of the cooking operation, removes the eggs from the heating me dium which cooks them and places the eggs under the influence of a cooling medium for reducing the temperature of the eggs and more especially of the egg shells to a point where the eggs may comfortably be handled.

It is still another object of this invention to provide an egg timing device of the character described which may be used commercially in restaurants and similar food establishments as well as in the private home where the device may very readily and removably be attached to an ordinary pot in which eggs are customarily cooked.

A preferred form of this invention is shown, by way of illustration and not of limitation, in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a back view of the preferred form of this invention, its casing being open to expose the operative parts of its mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof, the casing being partly broken away to expose its said mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the trigger mechanism which holds the egg holder in operative position for a given period of time and then releases it for movement to inoperative position;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view through the clutch members of the mechanism of said invention;

Fig. 5 is a side view of the entire device which constitutes this form of the invention, showing the egg holder in operative position, and showing by means of a curved arrow, the direction of movement of said egg holder from its said operative position to its inoperative position; and

Fig. 6 is a front perspective view of the egg holder, showin it in operative position.

The egg timing device shown in the drawing includes a casing I having a pair of brackets 99 aflixed thereto for mounting the egg timing device on the side wall of an ordinary cooking utensil 98 containing boiling water 91. Mounted in the casing is a conventional clockwork mechanism Iiil which actuates a lever I02. At the conclusion of a selected time interval, the clockwork mechanism swings lever I02 upwardly. An arm I03 connected to said clockwork mechanism determines the length or duration of the time interval.

Attached to lever I 02 is a rod I04 which is connected to arm I05, said arm I05 being freely mounted on shaft I06. Arm I05 is positioned for engagement with trigger I01. This trigger is con-' nected by means of a link I08 to a pin I09, said pin being journaled in the arms of bracket H0 and being urged leftwardly, as seen in Fig. 3, by

means of compression spring III which is disposed between one of the arms of the bracket and a collar II2 which is fastened to said pin.

Crank handle H5 is connected to shaft I06 in the man r o n in ig-l Ac uationcf saidy.

3 crank handle II5 has the effect of winding the clockwork mechanism IOI for the work which it is to do. This is accomplished through the instrumentality of an arm I I6 which is fixedly mounted on shaft I06 and which engages a pin I IT on arm 05 when shaft IE6 is caused to engage in angular movement by actuation of the crank handle.

When the crank handle is actuated it also accomplishes another result, that is, it -.causes the egg holder '-l20=to pivot into operative position relative to the boiling water in the pot. The means by which this result is achieved is best shown in Fig. 1. It includes a gear wheel I2I which is freely rotatable on shaft I06 and which is engaged by a clutch I22 thatis fixedly mounted on said shaft. See Fig. 4 for the interaction between clutch I22 and gear wheel I2I. Actually each of these two members is provided with a shoulder which is positioned for engagement with the shoulder of the other member. Gear wheel {2| which is of the miteredor beveled type engages a similar gear wheel I25 mounted at the lower end of a shaft I25. At the upper end of said shaft is still another beveled gear wheel I21 which engages a last gear wheelof this type 128 fixedly mounted on shaft I29. A bracket I30 and a plate -I3I fastened respectively to the back and top walls I33 and I34 ofthe casing, serve as bearings for shaft I25 which extends at right angles with respect to shafts 165 and I29. Shaft I29 is s pported .by means of brackets I35 and I36 respectively which are fastened to the top wall I34- of the casing. Egg holder I20 .is fastened by means of pins I to shaft I29 so that said egg holder and said shaft may move integrally with each other.

It is evident from the foregoing that when crank handle H5 is actuated to wind the clockwork mechanism it also has the effect of causing the egg holder to engage in pivotal movement with shaft i29. A coil spring II is mounted on shaft I29 for engagement with supporting bracket I36. The action of this spring is upon shaft I29, and hence upon egg holder I20, to urge said shaft and said egg holder .to pivot in counter-clockwise direction, as seen in Fig. 5, to remove the eggs from the pot of boiling water. Hence, when crank arm I !5 is actuated to pivot the egg holder in clockwise direction in order to bring it into operative position relative to the boiling water in the pot, the action of spring MI is opposed and said spring is placed under increased tension or torque.

The trigger mechanism shown in Fig. 3 prevents the egg holder from pivoting in counterclockwise direction until compelled to do so at the conclusion of a selected time interval, by the clockwork mechanism acting through arm I05. It will be noted that a collar I45 is affixed to shaft I25. This collar has a hole I25 formed. therein, radially thereof. The position of said hole in said collar is such as to bring the hole into registration with pin I09 when collar I45 engages in angular movement with shaft I29. As soon as-registration between the hole and the pin is effected, the pin, urged by spring II I, will enterthe hole and prevent further angular'movement of the collar and hence of the shaft to which it is fixed. Since the shaft is geared to shaft 129 which supports the egg holder I20, further angular movement of said shaft I29 and hence of the egg holder is also pre vented. When lever I02 swings upwardly in response to the action of the clockwork mechanism thereon, it brings arm 1-05 into engagement with trigger I07 and causes said trigger to pull pin I09 out of hole I46, thereby freeing collar I45, shaft I25, shaft I29 and egg holder i211 for pivotal movement in response to the action of loaded spring I iI upon said egg holder. The egg holder is thereby pivoted in counterclockwise direction, as seen in Fig. 5, into inoperative position.

Eggholder not only holds the eggs in operative and inoperative position but it also serves as a chute for the eggs enabling them to travel from operative to inoperative position when it is tilted from its operative to its inoperative position. Hence egg holder I20 is provided with the .shape of a chute and with spring bumpers I50 and I5I at its respective ends. These spring bumpers enable the eggs to slide from one position to the other without cracking.

The foregoing is descriptive of a preferred form of ;this;inv ention.and this .form maybe modified in different ways in accordance with individual requirements within the broad scope of the invention. Although the invention has been described in terms .of its application to the cooking of eggs it will be understood that it may very easily be adapted for application to the cooking or -preparation of other foods equally as well.

:I claim:

Aneggti-ming device of-the character described, comprising an egg holder pivotally mounted on the side of a potsuitable forcooking eggs, manually operable means including a crank handle for pivoting said egg holder into operative position in .said-pot, a spring motor connected to said egg holder :for pivoting it into inoperative position outside of the pot, a latch connected to said egg holder for holding it in operative position in said pot against the action of the spring motor, a trigger mechanism which is engageable with said latch for disengaging the latch from the egg holder to enable said egg holder to pivot into inoperative position in response to the action of the spring motor thereon, and a clockwise mechanism connected to said trigger mechanism for actuating the same at the conclusion of a given time interval, said egg holder comprising a pivotally supported chute with spring bumpers at both ends, said chute being pivotable into operative position thereby enabling the eggs contained therein to slide into operative position, said chute being pivotable into inoperative position, thereby enabling the eggs contained therein to slide into inoperative position.

ARTHUR E. WAETERLING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany Sept. 29, 1923

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